Collectibles - How To Make Chores Fun In Games

At first glance, game collectibles might sound like a chore. In some games, they are. But with the right motivation and tools, you can make them a rewarding, worthwhile pillar of any game. Let’s talk about what you can do to make collectibles worth collecting.

#mario64 #banjokazooie #gamedesign

[notanotaku]

You know one of the collectables I most remember? The studs from the Lego games. There was something incredibly satisfying about the sound of the meter filling up to 100% at the end of a stage.

[OraDubStronzate]

As a collectible, i love the Grubs in Hollow Knight.
You get money, a charm and something else if you find them (so immediate reward, and not only if you find them all) but also, as you progress and you see them, you start to care for this tiny things. You hear them cry, and you want to rescue them. You are invested in finding collectibles because slowly you forget that they are collectibles, and you just want them to be reunited with their papa.

[Yipper]

10:43 I think banjo kazooie levels are akin to a theme park. They usually have a sort of circular layout with recognizable monuments, so you quickly understand the level as a whole as you explore it.

[coreymyers]

Is there a completion bonus for watching all Design Doc episodes?

[Stephen-Fox]

I think a special note on collectables has to be given to DiscRoom. The enemies in the game? Circular saws which kill you. The levels in the game? Arcade-style things that inevitably end when you die, with a high score table for each one tied to how long you last. The only collectable in the game? The circular saws. Which you collect by being killed by them.

[throstlewanion]

I'd like to add Hollow Knight to the list of games that use collectibles well. I personally just love exploring the Hallownest, and when I see a spike-filled tunnel my first thought is "Huh, I wonder what's at the end of that tunnel". Finding a neat little collectible at the end of said tunnel is really rewarding, especially since it gives an extrinsic incentive (usually by giving you new items, abilities or resources), but you definitely don't feel forced to hunt for every secret

[污萌螃蟹]

Nobody seems talk about books in Skyrim and magazines in Fallout (3, 4, New Vegas) there.
They fit into the game world itself, they fit into game itself, they're ok not to be collected, they're like pressent boxes with surprises when they're found.

[Sjono]

16:06 “Sonic isn’t built to explore.”

Giant Rings in Sonic 3&K and Sonic Mania: “Ahem”

[caviicape]

finally someone appreciating a short hike! the game’s beautiful so it’s perfect for background footage, plus the soundtrack is so welcoming and well-done.

[waterinmyotter]

I’m surprised you mentioned Pokémon without talking about it’s biggest problem; the tradition of releasing two versions of each game makes your ability to complete your collection is dependent on other people. It doesn’t matter how good or invested you are, if you can’t find that one person who’ll trade a certain Pokemon with you then you can’t 100% the game.

[someguywithamic]

I'm surprised that Ape Escape wasn't on here. Collecting the monekys using all gadgets and player knowledge, and how each monkey protests a unique challenge. In Ape Escape 3 each monkey had a something extra tied to it. And then also eventually playing the Metal Gear Solid mini game (which got me into the metal gear series)

[Odyssey_Central]

Mario odyssey is my favorite game and I think for the most part they do well with the but shoutouts to those three purple coins in sand kingdom that are just hanging off the edge at some random part of the largest kingdom in the game

[Cman]

My favorite collectibles are the books and news papers from the trails series.

They have full ass storys in them. Short and long, short storys are usually 3 to a collection and 10 to 20 mins worth, but long ones are like 14 chapters and each chapter is a collectible, and theyre up to 3 hours when done in audiobook.

That is super high effort collectible imo.

[edsoncastillo]

Thank you. Crash 4’s completion system is basically the new Donkey Kong 64. The over abundance of collectibles with the use of artificial padding just makes 100% the game feel like absolute torture.

[eimazd]

Genshin Impact also does collectibles well. In both the Mondstadt and Liyue areas, there are numerous timer challenges, "follow this blue spirte" seelie statues, beautiful vantage points, and there's probably at least 1000 treasure chests across the entire map (so far! More of the world has yet to be revealed). And, they all provide a mixture of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
With a huge map, the purpose is to just explore, see what's around, climb everything, etc. Seelies are a lovely little distraction where you follow a little blue spirit for a bit, timer challenges are fun challenges (except when enemies spawn to freeze you), and chests are hidden in easily-overlooked areas as well as behind unmarked challenges - deciphering a poem, setting some torches ablaze, etc. The rewards from these serve as an extrinsic reward to doing something that's generally already intrinsically fun and engaging.
At the same time, they're all incredibly optional. Sure, they give you money, things to enhance stuff with, etc., but the game is based around the stories found in quests, which guide you on the map from point to point. The only thing that you simply cannot get without completing challenges, following seelie, and opening chests... are achievements (and none of those achievements require 100%, either).
And even for the achievement hunters and completionists, after doing a number of quests to help out the citizens of Mondstadt or Liyue, you unlock a treasure compass, which points you to nearby treasure chests - since there's so many of them, it's easy to miss a few.

[QueenCloveroftheice]

“Breath of the Wild isn’t a game you’re meant to 100%”
*sweats*

[BackSet]

Every time I think of collectables I think of Lego Games.

Lego Games have at least 4 different collectibles per game. The four staples are Gold Bricks, Red Bricks, Minikits, and Character tokens, two of which (Red Bricks and Characters) are then locked behind an in-game paywall (that is, buying them with in-game currency. No Microtransactions involved) once you collect them. Each of them serves a different purpose. Gold Bricks unlock a special bonus level (or a stud fountain depending on the game), each Red Brick unlocks an extra, some of which are useful (collectible detectors (yes that includes a detector for Red Bricks themselves. Yes it is annoying when you find that one last) and currency multipliers) and some of which are silly (making the floor really slippery or giving every character groucho marx glasses), Minikits unlock a special Lego Build that you can visit in a gallery, sort of like a photo gallery but with Lego Models. There's five to ten minikits in each level depending on the game. Finally, character tokens unlock characters, all of which have different abilities and powers (later games start having a lot of power overlap because of the large amount of characters but whatever) that will help you solve puzzles in order to unlock other collectibles.

And of course a lot of games have their own unique collectables such as "characters in peril" which usually unlocks the character that is in peril (such as Stan Lee in Lego Marvel Superheroes) as a playable character.

[tristanneal]

Love the "A Short Hike" music. Playing that game right now and it's just so nice and wholesome, very charming world and dialogue. On sale on Switch rn too!

[mortonandroy]

Honestly, I really enjoy Donkey Kong 64. It really fits the example of a "Game I love but everyone hates" bingo slot

[SonicHaXD]

Great vid!! I'm also glad someone remembered the amazing Sonic Advance series XD